CoverThe mummy mask of Tutankhamun. Photograph by Harry Burton, late December 1925; GI neg. P0753. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
1.1Howard Carter crouched before the open shrine doors in the burial chamber of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Photograph by Harry Burton, 3 January 1924; GI neg. P0626. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
1.2The antechamber of Tutankhamun’s tomb, looking towards the blocked, seal-stamped entrance to the burial chamber. Photograph by Harry Burton, 23 December 1923; GI neg. P0007. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
1.3Limestone flake with a drawing of a cockerel. Photograph probably by Howard Carter, 1920 or 1921; GI neg. Pkv49 (XLIX), glass 8 × 10.5 cm. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
1.4Twisted scarf with rings wrapped inside it (object 44b). Photograph by Harry Burton, early 1923; GI neg. P0220, glass 12 × 16 cm. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
1.5Rings found inside the twisted scarf seen in Figure 1.4 (objects 44c–h, 44j). Photograph by Harry Burton, early 1923; GI neg. P0222, glass 12 × 16 cm. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
1.6Group photograph ahead of the unwrapping of Tutankhamun’s mummy. Photograph by Harry Burton, 11 November 1925; GI neg. P1559, 12 × 16 cm film copy negative, of a print of unknown date. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
1.7The second shrine from the Burial Chamber (object 237), re-erected in the Egyptian Antiquities Museum, Cairo. Photograph by Harry Burton, November or December 1932; GI neg. P0632A. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
1.8Corner of the quartzite sarcophagus in the tomb of Tutankhamun (object 240). Photograph by Harry Burton, January 1933; GI neg. P0646H. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
2.1Tutankhamun Albums, page 702, mounted with the print Burton sent to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1933 as a replacement for lost negative TAA 412. Courtesy of the Department of Egyptian Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
2.2A page from one of the photograph albums Burton made for Howard Carter, around 1924: Carter Album 4, page 39, in a section headed ‘Vases – alabaster’. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford (TAA i.6.04.39).
2.3First page of Penelope Fox’s guide to the Tutankhamun photographic archive, comparing prints and negatives in the Griffith Institute and the Metropolitan Museum of Art; dated 6 February 1952. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford (GI/Green, page 37).
3.1Seal impressions covering the first doorway of the tomb. Photograph by Howard Carter, 25 November 1922; GI neg. P0274, glass 8 × 10.5 cm. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
3.2The seal impressions from the first doorway of the tomb, now catalogued as object 4. Photograph by Harry Burton, on or around 18 December 1922; GI neg. P0277, glass 12 × 16 cm. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
3.3First page of the working register of objects for the tomb, showing numbers 1 to 22. Carter archive, Notebook 13. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford (TAA i.2.13.01).
3.4Print from GI neg. P0278 marked-up in Carter’s hand, from the card catalogue record for object 4 – the sealings from the first blocked doorway of the tomb. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford (TAA i.004.p0278).
3.5Dismantled chariots and other objects in the Antechamber, with number cards in place. Photograph by Harry Burton, January 1923; GI neg. P0035. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
3.6Perfume vase (object 210). Photograph by Harry Burton, December 1923 or January 1924; MMA neg. TAA 1054. Copyright the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
3.7Perfume vase (object 210) photographed again in early 1925, using a new, curved backdrop. Photograph by Harry Burton, February or March 1925; GI neg. P0524. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
3.8Gilded wooden statuette of the goddess Sekhmet (object 300a). Photograph by Harry Burton, March 1927; GI neg. P1040. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.1Three shabti kiosks from the Treasury (objects 318, 322 and 325). Photograph by Harry Burton, October or November 1927; GI neg. P1046. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.2Shabti-figures from kiosk 319. Photograph by Harry Burton, October or November 1927; GI neg. P1042. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.3Catalogue card for shabti-figures from kiosk 319, using prints from two separate negatives (GI negs. 1042 and 1045) and with notes in Howard Carter’s hand. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford (TAA i.1.319ag).
4.4Shabti-figure 318a photographed on frosted glass. Photograph by Harry Burton, October or November 1927; GI neg. P1056. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.5Shabti-figure 318a photographed upright in front of the curved backdrop. Photograph by Harry Burton, October or November 1927; GI neg. P1057. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.6The axles from two chariots, objects 120a and 122a. Photograph by Harry Burton, December 1923; GI neg. P0530. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.7The body of object 120, a gilded wooden chariot. Photograph by Harry Burton, December 1923; GI neg. P0520. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.8Detail of the relief frieze on chariot 120. Photograph by Harry Burton, December 1923; GI neg. P0524. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.9The head of the protective god Bes at the bottom edge of chariot 120. Photograph by Harry Burton, December 1923; GI neg. P0529, glass 12 × 16 cm. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.10The camera tripod stood on a specially created wooden structure to allow Burton to photograph directly over the mummy during the unwrapping. Photograph by Harry Burton, 11 November 1925; GI neg. P0780A. Two negatives with this number are preserved in the Institute, taken with slightly different adjustments in the angle of the camera lens. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.11An extended tape measure runs alongside the revealed legs of the royal mummy. Photograph by Harry Burton, 13 November 1925; GI neg. P0783A. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.12A stage in unwrapping the head of the mummy. Photograph by Harry Burton, 16 November 1925; GI neg. P0805. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.13The head of Tutankhamun’s mummy, with cloth wrapped around it to conceal the decapitation. Photograph by Harry Burton, 16 or 18 November 1925; GI neg. P0809. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.14The head of Tutankhamun’s mummy, propped on a wooden plinth. Photograph by Harry Burton, 19 November 1925; MMA neg. TAA 534. Copyright the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
4.15The head of Tutankhamun’s mummy, in three-quarter view. Photograph by Harry Burton, 19 November 1925; GI neg. P0815. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
4.16One of around twenty views of the mummy mask. Photograph by Harry Burton, late December 1925; MMA neg. TAA 504. Copyright the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
5.1Howard Carter rolling the shroud back from the second coffin. Photograph by Harry Burton, 17 October 1925; GI neg. P0720. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
5.2Carter and Lord Carnarvon opening the Burial Chamber. Photograph by Harry Burton, 16 February 1923; GI neg. P0291. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
5.3In the bay outside KV15, Arthur Mace and Alfred Lucas work on a chariot body. Photograph by Harry Burton, November 1923; GI neg. P0517. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
5.4Demolishing the wall between the Burial Chamber and Antechamber. Photograph by Harry Burton, 1 or 2 December 1923; GI neg. P0509. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
5.5Removing the first roof section of the outermost shrine. Photograph by Harry Burton, 16 December 1923; GI neg. P0605. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
5.6Two of the Egyptian ru’asa on the ramps, dismantling the shrines. Photograph by Harry Burton, 22 or 23 December 1923; GI neg. P0610. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
5.7Photograph of Egyptian men who worked at the tomb of Tutankhamun, published with the caption ‘The men who are assisting Mr. Howard Carter’ and identifying the three men at the back as ‘head men’. The Sphere, 3 February 1923: 111. Copyright Mary Evans Picture Library.
5.8An Egyptian workman, possibly a ra’is, carrying the ‘mannequin’ (object 116) to the ‘laboratory’ tomb of Seti II (KV15). Press photograph, possibly by Arthur Merton, January 1923. Copyright Rupert Wace Ancient Art (no. 37).
5.9Carter and a ra’is struggle with the weight of the hippo couch (object 137). Photographer unknown, January 1923. Copyright Rupert Wace Ancient Art (no. 41).
5.10Egyptian porters taking the tomb objects to the Nile at the end of the first season. Photographer unknown, 15 May 1923. Copyright Rupert Wace Ancient Art (no. 70); also GI neg. Pkv15 (XV), film 6 × 10 cm.
5.11Two Egyptian officials observe as porters load crates onto the government barge. Press photograph, possibly by Arthur Merton, 16 May 1923. Copyright Rupert Wace Ancient Art (no. 59).
5.12Howard Carter, Adli Yakan and members of the Liberal Constitutionalist party pose outside KV15 – as mounted in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Tutankhamun Albums, page 81. The print corresponds to GI neg. Pkv86 (LXXXVI). Photograph by Harry Burton, date unknown, probably 1926. Copyright the Department of Egyptian Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
5.13Harry Burton and his Egyptian assistants, photographing at the tomb of Tutankhamun in the 1920s. MMA neg. MM80950 (film copy negative of a print taken with a hand-held camera). Copyright the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
6.1Back page of Le petit journal illustré, 11 February 1923. Illustrator unknown. Copyright Bibliothèque nationale de France.
6.2Cover of the Illustrated London News, 3 February 1923, with Burton’s striking photograph of one of the guardian statues (object 22). Corresponds either to Griffith Institute Burton neg. P0321 or MMA neg. TAA 6). Copyright Mary Evans Picture Library.
6.3Amédée Forestier’s drawing of the moment of discovery, based on his interview with Lord Carnarvon. Illustrated London News, 22 December 1923. Copyright Mary Evans Picture Library.
6.4Carter, Callender and a ra’is posed in the process of packing the guardian statues. Photograph by Harry Burton, 29 November 1923; GI neg. P0491. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
6.5Egyptian workmen carry one of the guardian statues (object 29) out of the tomb. Press photograph, possibly by Arthur Merton, 30 November 1927. Copyright Rupert Wace Ancient Art (no. 67).
6.6The reverse of the press photograph in Figure 6.5, showing date and copyright stamps from The Times newspaper distribution service. Copyright Rupert Wace Ancient Art (no. 67).
6.7Burton’s photograph of statue 22, reproduced in Al-Hilal magazine’s feature on the discovery in 1923. Copyright Cambridge University Library.
6.8A drawing by D. MacPherson, from The Sphere, January 1924, reproduced in Al-Hilal magazine later that year. Copyright Cambridge University Library.
6.9Burton’s photograph of the goddess Isis guarding the canopic shrine in the Treasury; corresponds either to Griffith Institute Burton neg. 1149 or MMA neg. TAA 968. Cover of The Illustrated London News, 22 January 1927, with the subtitle ‘The “Madonna” of Ancient Egypt’. Copyright Mary Evans Picture Library.
6.10The ‘hood and tippet’ (linen textile with spangles, object 21cc), found in box 21 in the Antechamber. Print corresponds either to GI neg. P0394 or MMA neg. TAA 808; both glass 12 × 16 cm. Copyright Rupert Wace Ancient Art (no. 119).
6.11A Bruce Company postcard from the 1930s, based on photographs by Harry Burton of the daggers found on the mummy of Tutankhamun. The corresponding negatives may be GI neg. P0872, P0873 and P0870; Burton took several exposures of these objects. Courtesy of the Photographic Collection, Department of Art History and World Art Studies, University of East Anglia.
6.12Postcard from a series entitled ‘Exploitation of Tout-ankh-amon’s tomb’, based on press or tourist snapshots taken in early 1923. From the archive of Alexandre Varille, copyright Biblioteca e Archivi di Egittologia, Università degli Studi, Milan.
6.13Wills’ cigarette cards from the ‘Wonders of the Past’ series, 1920s date. The illustrations are based on Burton photographs of statue 22 and the hippo-headed couch (object 137). Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford (TAA iii.25.2.11–13).
6.14Churchman’s cigarette cards from the 1930s, based (top to bottom) on Forestier’s 1923 drawing of the discovery, a Burton photograph of the Antechamber (such as GI neg. P0007) and Burton’s 1925 photograph of Carter and a ra’is working on the innermost coffin (GI neg. P0770, glass 12 × 16 cm copy negative). Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
7.1Carter and an unnamed ra’is posed at work on the innermost coffin. Original photograph by Harry Burton, 25 October 1925; GI neg. P0770, glass 12 × 16 cm copy negative, perhaps dating to the 1920s or 1930s. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
7.2Queen Elizabeth II visits the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition at the British Museum in 1972. The entrance to the exhibition was lined with enlarged prints of Burton photographs. Courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum.
7.3A print of box 270b from the tomb (showing it before repair, photograph perhaps by Burton), here re-photographed in the 1980s in the Ashmolean Museum photographic studio, with a 10 cm scale. GI neg. P1825, 12 × 16 cm film copy negative. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
7.4An Egyptian boy wearing a necklace and pectoral from Tutankhamun’s tomb. Photograph by Harry Burton, November or December 1926; GI neg. P1190. Copyright the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
Two institutions – the Griffith Institute, Oxford University and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York – share between them the excavation archive of negatives and prints created by Harry Burton and Howard Carter during the course of their work on Tutankhamun’s tomb. For reasons discussed in this book, the archives are similar but not identical, both in terms of the photographs they include and in terms of how they have numbered, mounted and stored the various photographic objects in their collections.
Because most of my research took place in Oxford, I have sourced the majority of the photographic images for this book through the kind cooperation of the Griffith Institute. The images they have supplied are new scans taken directly from the 1920s or 1930s negatives, digitally balanced and reversed for printing. These scans do not reflect the way Burton would have printed a paper negative: they do not include any cropping he might have done (although traces may survive as tape adhesive), nor the kinds of adjustments a photographer could make during a conventional printing process, for instance to lighten dark areas or darken overexposed ones. However, they do replicate the negative that Burton exposed at the time, often with written marks or traces of masking that are part of the history of the photographic object. Moreover, using scans from negatives makes it possible to reproduce those that he himself never printed (like Figure 7.4), where he and Carter rejected an exposure as unsuccessful or surplus to requirements.
In this list of illustrations, the figure captions in the text, and the Notes at the end of the book, I have identified by negative number all the photographs that I illustrate and discuss, using the abbreviation ‘GI neg.’ for those now in Oxford, which have numbers starting with the letter P, and ‘MMA neg.’ for those in New York, which are prefaced by the abbreviation TAA for Tut-ankh-amun. Burton worked primarily with 18 × 24 cm glass negatives, and unless otherwise indicated, all the negatives mentioned are preserved in that size and material.